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Sutton United 1 Hayes 0 |
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| Half-Time: 0-0 |
Referee: Mr A Quelch |
Attendance: tba |
The Missioners were nearly caught napping at the start of this Suburban League Cup Final at Imber Court on tuesday evening when Zak Graham burst into the box with just 90 seconds played. John Peacock dived to save at the Sutton man's feet but the ball squirmed away and gave Graham another chance that was superbly blocked by Bradley Edmunds.
We then began to find our feet and Miles Jones found Stafforde Palmer just inside the area, the striker turned past his marker only for his shot to be blocked up into the air by keeper Mo Maan who then gathered. Minutes later Palmer again worked space for a shot but this time did not trouble the keeper.
Sutton began to push forwards and only an excellent Darren
Spinks intervention stopped Scott Stevens getting on the end of a Luke Adams centre. At the other end Palmer's pace and control were causing problems for the U's defence as his angled drive went flying across the face of goal but could not be forced home at the far post by Alexis Charalambous.
For the first of many times in the game the expertise of U's dead ball specialist Greg Andrews caused mayhem in the Hayes defence, this time a free-kick struck from all of 30 yards beat Peacock in the Hayes goal before coming from the underside of the bar and bouncing on the line before being headed clear.
Spinks then fired a free-kick of our own into Palmer who juggled the ball on his chest before shooting on the turn but Maan was well placed to catch. Maan launched the ball straight down the other end and Sam Clayton was only just off target from 18 yards. The final action of the half saw another Andrews free-kick come flying towards Peacock, this time he was too high.
Just seconds into the second half come excellent footwork from top scorer Adam Cornell on the byeline set up a chance for Palmer but Jamaal Horne blocked his effort. With just over ten minutes of the half played the U's were twice thwarted at point blank range by Peacock. Firstly he blocked at the feet of Clayton to whom the ball fell after a corner was not cleared and then minutes later Andrews placed a free-kick perfectly onto the head of Alex McKay but Peacock again proved what a good keeper he is by blocking the effort away to safety.
Cornell then controlled the ball neatly with his chest on the edge of the area before seeing his volley blocked by McKay and at the other end Andrews shot wide before finding the head of Richard Blackwell from yet another free-kick but Peacock again stood firm.
Sutton then made a change that made all of the difference, replacing Scott Stevens with the speedy Jason Henry, who had caused the first team major problems at Gander Green Lane earlier in the season. And indeed it was to be Henry who scored what proved to be the winner just six minutes after his arrival on the pitch. Andrews again picked out the head of McKay who went closer this time as his powerful header was touched onto the underside of the crossbar and when played back into the centre the disheveled Hayes defence allowed Henry the easiest of headers which he duly netted.
The five minutes that followed the goal almost turned into the Jason Henry show as the tiring defence was battered by the winger. First he put Clayton through but a bad first touch saw him driven wide and he failed to hit the target, then he raced past skipper Emanuel Sackey before setting it on a plate for Zak Graham who was first denied by an excellent Peacock save before Spinks slid in to prevent Graham firing into the empty net. His final chance of the blitz saw a loss of composure as he fired high over the bar with just Peacock to beat.
With just four minutes remaining we almost forced extra time, substitute Toby Little set up Palmer whose drive was palmed down by Maan only to bounce over two arriving Missioners and the chance went away.
Report by Kevin Watts.
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| 1 |
Mo Maan |
|
1 |
John Peacock |
|
| 2 |
Jamaal Horne |
|
2 |
Emanuel Sackey |
Captain |
| 3 |
Luke Adams |
|
3 |
Darren Spinks |
|
| 4 |
Bradley Duke |
|
4 |
Armand Wembakungu |
|
| 5 |
Alex McKay |
|
5 |
Jomo Faal-Thomas |
|
| 6 |
Richard Blackwell |
|
6 |
Bradley Edmunds |
|
| 7 |
Sam Clayton |
|
7 |
Alexis Charalambous |
|
| 8 |
Nick Drew |
Captain |
8 |
Rhys Price |
|
| 9 |
Scott Stevens |
|
9 |
Stafforde Palmer |
|
| 10 |
Greg Andrews |
|
10 |
Adam Cornell |
|
| 11 |
Zak Graham |
|
11 |
Miles Jones |
|
| 12 |
Ollie Adams |
|
12 |
Sam Arhin |
|
| 14 |
Mark Boakye |
|
14 |
Jarrel Henry |
|
| 15 |
Jason Henry |
for 9 (70) |
15 |
Toby Little |
for 4 (46) |
| 16 |
Tom Hughes |
|
16 |
Junior Thompson |
for 5 (83) |
| 17 |
Tony Cuff |
|
18 |
- |
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